First Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF (MISL)


Market Price (8/31/2026): $43.99

First Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF (MISL)


Market Price (8/31/2026): $43.99

Key Takeaways

  • MISL has returned +4.3% YTD vs +13.1% for SPY; +14.2% over the past 12 months (SPY +20.3%). details →
  • Priced in gold, MISL has returned -15.3% over the past 3 years, vs +94.8% in dollars — its dollar gains have lagged gold. details →
  • Over the past month, MISL has seen net outflows of −$9M (−1.2% of assets). details →
  • MISL's portfolio trades at 33.2x forward earnings — a 289% premium to SPY (8.5x). details →
  • MISL's top 10 holdings represent 63% of the fund vs 37% for SPY — a more concentrated portfolio. details →
Last updated: 8/30/2026.

Price Chart

Asset Allocation with MISL

Risk Tolerance:
ConservativeModerateAggressive
Moderate — 55% equity / 25% bonds / 20% alternatives
10Y Return (ann.)
+7.8%
Volatility
7.9%
Sharpe
0.64
YTD
+4.5%
Modeled with monthly rebalancing to target weights; 10-year figures are annualized from monthly returns. Illustrative only — past performance is not indicative of future results.

Learn More →
Tailored Asset Allocation
[1] Personalized 5 Level Risk Tolerance Assessment
[2] Asset Allocation for My Risk Tolerance
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Protect Wealth
[1] Defensive Portfolios
[2] Tax-Efficient Strategies

Top 20 Holdings for MISL

Total Weights
Top 5: 42.2% | Top 10: 62.5% | Top 20: 87.5%

TickerHoldingETF WeightSales WeightEarnings WeightFwd P/SFwd P/EFwd Sales GrowthFwd Earnings Growth
Total99.70%100.00%100.00%2.933.2+11.2%+16.3%
Top 2087.48%80.09%87.07%3.234.4+11.9%+16.5%
PLTRPalantir Technologies11.08%0.50%3.10%41.1102.3+49.5%+40.0%
RTXRTX8.53%9.19%9.56%2.827.3+7.4%+8.8%
GEGE Aerospace7.60%3.56%7.93%6.639.5+11.1%+12.8%
BABoeing7.56%14.13%4.60%1.594.4+14.8%
SPCXSpace Exploration Technologies7.42%0.61%9.9217.2+139.0%+260.6%
LMTLockheed Martin4.30%8.42%8.64%1.517.6+5.7%+6.9%
GDGeneral Dynamics4.09%7.21%7.41%1.820.8+4.9%+9.0%
NOCNorthrop Grumman4.06%7.41%9.77%1.718.2+6.9%+4.1%
HEIHeico4.01%1.46%3.00%8.047.3+11.1%+12.8%
HWMHowmet Aerospace3.88%1.10%2.84%9.643.4+13.3%+20.6%
TDGTransDigm3.71%1.80%4.81%5.924.7+10.1%+17.5%
LHXL3Harris Technologies3.61%5.58%5.69%2.020.1+7.0%+15.0%
RKLBRocket Lab3.36%0.21%32.5+46.0%
ASTSAST SpaceMobile2.60%0.06%32.6+351.0%
CWCurtiss-Wright2.44%1.34%2.49%5.535.8+8.2%+10.2%
FTAIFTAI Aviation2.19%1.12%2.25%3.618.0+65.6%+140.5%
WWDWoodward2.13%1.45%2.40%4.331.4+8.9%+12.3%
LDOSLeidos1.87%6.14%6.02%0.910.5+4.7%+4.6%
TXTTextron1.53%5.37%4.14%0.911.5+3.7%+12.4%
CACICACI International1.51%3.43%2.42%1.318.1+6.7%+12.3%
[1] Total and Top 20 rows are weighted aggregates across constituents.
[2] Forward P/S and P/E ratios use consensus sales and earnings for the 12 months ending 8/31/27. Individual constituent FY1 and FY2 consensus figures adjusted to align with 8/31/27.
[3] Forward Sales and Non-GAAP Earnings Growth are calculated as next fiscal year (FY2) consensus growth over current fiscal year (FY1) consensus. They are not derived from the forward P/S and P/E multiples shown.

Performance for MISL Top Holdings

TickerHoldingWeightMkt Price
8/30
1D Rtn1M RtnYTD Rtn1Y Rtn3Y Rtn5Y Rtn10Y Rtn
MISLFirst Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF100.00%44.640.0%3.7%4.3%14.2%94.8%  
PLTRPalantir Technologies11.08%186.290.0%51.4%4.8%18.9%1,143.6%607.3% 
RTXRTX8.53%211.710.0%-1.3%16.7%35.5%161.2%178.1%325.3%
GEGE Aerospace7.60%342.580.0%-4.9%11.5%25.1%281.2%429.5%153.5%
BABoeing7.56%209.820.0%-2.9%-3.4%-10.6%-6.3%-4.4%75.6%
SPCXSpace Exploration Technologies7.42%141.500.0%30.6%     
LMTLockheed Martin4.30%563.850.0%-3.2%18.0%27.1%35.4%78.0%199.5%
GDGeneral Dynamics4.09%379.320.0%-1.1%14.2%18.9%77.6%110.3%208.2%
NOCNorthrop Grumman4.06%545.570.0%0.6%-3.6%-6.1%31.8%60.2%201.1%
HEIHeico4.01%336.530.0%-5.6%4.1%7.9%100.0%166.7%870.9%
HWMHowmet Aerospace3.88%264.850.0%-6.1%29.4%52.4%439.8%746.3%1,092.3%
TDGTransDigm3.71%1,185.970.0%-5.5%-10.8%-15.2%53.5%134.9%560.3%
LHXL3Harris Technologies3.61%262.820.0%-5.1%-9.8%-3.8%56.6%24.6%241.6%
RKLBRocket Lab3.36%64.390.0%-0.9%-7.7%32.5%920.4%542.0% 
ASTSAST SpaceMobile2.60%58.050.0%-1.6%-20.1%18.6%1,380.9%370.0% 
CWCurtiss-Wright2.44%596.370.0%-17.6%8.3%24.9%188.9%398.4%592.8%
FTAIFTAI Aviation2.19%194.980.0%-5.1%-0.4%27.7%447.1%913.7%3,307.8%
WWDWoodward2.13%341.810.0%-5.2%13.4%39.0%168.3%191.8%478.6%
LDOSLeidos1.87%140.660.0%21.7%-21.6%-21.4%49.3%52.9%304.6%
TXTTextron1.53%83.040.0%-2.6%-4.7%3.7%7.2%14.9%106.2%
CACICACI International1.51%628.200.0%26.2%17.9%31.0%91.5%143.9%536.7%

Guidance Updates for MISL Top Holdings

 TickerCompanyEarnings DateGuidance MetricMidpoint Value% ChangeGuidance Change
CACI_8052026CACICACI International8/5/20262027 Revenue10.75 Bil12.6%Higher NewNew Guidance Higher than Prior Actual of 9.55 Bil for 2026
HWM_8062026HWMHowmet Aerospace8/6/2026Q3 2026 Revenue2.58 Bil7.3%Higher NewNew Guidance Higher than Prior Actual of 2.40 Bil for Q2 2026
PLTR_8032026PLTRPalantir Technologies8/3/20262026 Revenue8.15 Bil6.5%RaisedRaised Prior Guidance of 7.66 Bil for 2026
RKLB_8102026RKLBRocket Lab8/10/2026Q3 2026 Revenue257.50 Mil10.8%Higher NewNew Guidance Higher than Prior Actual of 232.50 Mil for Q2 2026

Return vs. Risk

Price Returns Compared

 202120222023202420252026Total [1]
Returns
MISL Return-8%15%20%41%5%122%
Peers Return15%-20%33%13%40%42%178%
S&P 500 Return27%-19%24%23%16%13%106%

Monthly Win Rates [3]
MISL Win Rate-100%58%58%83%50% 
Peers Win Rate58%45%62%58%67%70% 
S&P 500 Win Rate75%42%67%75%67%50% 

Max Drawdowns [4]
MISL Max Drawdown---10%-10%-16%-17% 
Peers Max Drawdown-20%-37%-19%-18%-26%-18% 
S&P 500 Max Drawdown-5%-25%-10%-8%-19%-9% 


[1] Cumulative total returns since the beginning of 2021
[2] Peers: SMH, SOXX, IBB, XBI, ITA.
[3] Win Rate = % of calendar months in which monthly returns were positive
[4] Max drawdown represents maximum peak-to-trough decline within a year
[5] 2026 data is for the year up to 8/28/2026 (YTD)

Sharpe Ratios Compared

One measure of reward vs. risk is a Sharpe ratio. A higher ratio indicates better risk-adjusted returns. Most funds have Sharpe ratios < 1.0.

Ticker1Y3Y5Y
MISL0.340.910.91
Equity Top Results (3Y)   
IALT2.112.112.11
SPMO0.891.380.82
VLUE2.491.260.69
CORO1.331.251.25
CGDV1.351.230.94

Results as of 7312026.

MISL Dip Buy History


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Current Dip Buy Opportunities Across ETFs

ETFs currently down 5% or more from trailing 6M peaks.

TickerNameDip %Mkt PricePrice DatePeak PricePeak Date# Days
SCHASchwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF-5.2%34.24830202636.13630202661
EEMiShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF-5.7%67.14830202671.21622202669
ASHRXtrackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares ETF-8.1%34.29830202637.30622202669
EWYiShares MSCI South Korea ETF-17.8%180.208302026219.20621202670
EWZiShares MSCI Brazil ETF-14.8%35.55830202641.734142026138
FXIiShares China Large-Cap ETF-7.2%35.51830202638.265132026109
ILFiShares Latin America 40 ETF-9.1%34.65830202638.104142026138
KWEBKraneShares CSI China Internet ETF-15.3%26.32830202631.063012026182
MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF-13.2%299.718302026345.22622202669
SPMOInvesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF-9.2%146.788302026161.66622202669
URAGlobal X Uranium ETF-21.8%45.57830202658.265062026116
BOTZGlobal X Funds Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF-14.1%35.75830202641.635132026109
ROBOROBO Global Robotics & Automation Index ETF-10.7%80.64830202690.34602202689
LITGlobal X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF-17.0%76.07830202691.625112026111
ICLNiShares Global Clean Energy ETF-26.4%17.48830202623.75602202689
ARKQARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF-14.9%122.328302026143.82528202694
ARKXARK Space & Defense Innovation ETF-14.3%32.35830202637.74528202694
NASATema Space Innovators ETF-44.1%23.41830202641.89527202695
AGIXKraneShares Artificial Intelligence ETF-8.8%45.03830202649.40601202690
XLKState Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF-6.3%185.698302026198.21602202689
XLIState Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF-5.0%177.148302026186.51816202614
XLCState Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF-5.1%112.998302026119.104192026133
XLUState Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF-9.8%42.73830202647.403012026182
SMHVanEck Semiconductor ETF-17.3%553.118302026668.91622202669
SOXXiShares Semiconductor ETF-22.3%508.628302026655.01622202669
ITAiShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF-8.1%232.828302026253.22816202614
MISLFirst Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF-11.9%44.64830202650.663022026181
RINGiShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF-12.0%87.46830202699.423012026182
SOXQInvesco PHLX Semiconductor ETF-21.6%90.288302026115.11622202669
TLTiShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF-7.0%82.88830202689.153012026182
VGLTVanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF-5.9%53.18830202656.533012026182
SPTLState Street SPDR Portfolio Long Term Treasury ETF-6.3%25.29830202626.993012026182
TLHiShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF-5.6%97.298302026103.083012026182
EDVVanguard World Funds Extended Duration ETF-10.0%60.66830202667.423012026182
COMTiShares GSCI Commodity Dynamic Roll Strategy ETF-5.6%34.48830202636.535192026103
GSGiShares GSCI Commodity-5.8%30.01830202631.853182026165
GLDSPDR Gold Trust-16.6%408.898302026490.003022026181
IAUiShares Gold Trust-16.5%83.828302026100.383022026181
GLDMSPDR Gold MiniShares Trust-16.4%88.208302026105.543022026181
SGOLETFS Physical Swiss Gold Shares-12.1%44.66830202650.813022026181
BARDirexion Daily Gold Bull 3X Shares-15.6%44.34830202652.533022026181
SLViShares Silver Trust-29.4%60.02830202684.993012026182
SIVRETFS Physical Silver Shares Trust ETF-6.6%83.39830202689.263012026182
PPLTETFS Physical Platinum Shares-23.2%16.49830202621.473012026182
CPERUnited States Copper Index Fund ETV-9.6%33.33830202636.883012026182
PALLETFS Physical Palladium Shares-20.6%25.79830202632.483012026182
USOUnited States Oil Fund LP-15.2%129.708302026152.965192026103
UNGUnited States Natural Gas Fund LP-20.8%10.33830202613.043122026171
BNOUnited States Brent Oil Fund LP ETV-7.1%55.85830202660.135042026118
USRTiShares Core U.S. REIT ETF-5.3%66.13830202669.82726202635
IBITiShares Bitcoin Trust ETF-5.5%43.90830202646.475112026111
FBTCFidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund-5.5%67.44830202671.355112026111

ETF Fund Flows

Largest fund inflows and outflows across ETFs, with the asset-allocation rotation they imply.

Net fund flows · as of 2026-08-28

Asset allocation rotation · Past month

  • Equity ETFs drew the largest net inflows (+$47.7B), followed by Bond (+$17.6B), while Real Estate (−$101M) saw the largest outflows.
  • Within the mix, money rotated into US Nasdaq Growth (+$17.6B) and out of Intermediate Treasury (−$8.0B).
  • Relative to fund size, CNEQ drew the largest inflow (+104.0% of AUM) and PKW the largest outflow (−30.8%).
Largest inflows
#TickerNameTypeNet flow% of AUM
1VOOVanguard S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core+$21.73B+2.1%
2QQQInvesco QQQ Trust, Series 1Equity US Nasdaq Growth+$14.48B+3.0%
3SGOViShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETFCash+$6.04B+5.9%
4TLTiShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETFBond Long Treasury+$5.35B+11.6%
5SPYMState Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core+$5.29B+3.1%
6GLDSPDR Gold SharesCommodity Gold+$4.82B+3.3%
7VTIVanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETFEquity US Total Market+$4.44B+0.6%
8SCHDSchwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFEquity Dividend Income+$3.66B+3.4%
9AVLVAvantis U.S. Large Cap Value ETFOther+$3.41B+18.2%
10VGSHVanguard Short-Term Treasury ETFBond Short Treasury+$3.25B+10.7%
Largest outflows
#TickerNameTypeNet flow% of AUM
1IVViShares Core S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core-$8.96B-1.0%
2IEFiShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETFBond Intermediate Treasury-$5.28B-12.3%
3SPYState Street SPDR S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core-$4.64B-0.6%
4XLFState Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETFEquity Broad Sector-$4.08B-7.0%
5SOXXiShares Semiconductor ETFEquity Industry Subsector-$3.57B-8.3%
6SMHVanEck Semiconductor ETFEquity Industry Subsector-$2.48B-3.5%
7SDYState Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETFEquity Dividend Income-$1.86B-8.4%
8GOVTiShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETFBond Intermediate Treasury-$1.73B-4.0%
9VGITVanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETFBond Intermediate Treasury-$1.33B-3.1%
10XLKState Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETFEquity Broad Sector-$1.31B-1.1%

Largest ETF fund flows across ~2627 funds (min AUM $100M). Net creations/redemptions; leveraged & inverse ETFs excluded. A ⚠ marks a day excluded as a suspected data error.

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About MISL

0Holdings Count: 49
Expense Ratio: 0.6%
Inception Date: 2022-10-25
First Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF
The First Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF aims to mirror the financial performance, specifically the capital appreciation and income generation, of the Indxx US Aerospace & Defense Index, before factoring in its operational costs. Typically, under ordinary market circumstances, the Fund allocates a minimum of 80% of its net assets, including any capital acquired through borrowing, to the equity securities composing that benchmark index.
Asset Class: Sector Equity | ETF Website

Recent Active Movers

Peer Comparisons

Peers to compare with:

Profile

MISLSMHSOXXIBBXBIITAMedian
NameFirst Trus.VanEck Sem.iShares Se.iShares Bi.State Stre.iShares U.. 
Asset ClassEquityEquityEquityEquityEquityEquity-
AUM ($ Bil)0.767.641.710.512.013.913.0
Expense Ratio0.60%0.35%0.33%0.44%0.35%0.37%0.36%
10-D Avg Volume (Mil)0.4210.739.581.558.750.785.15
Latest Day Volume (Mil)0.012.033.340.291.16-1.16
Holdings Count4926302471554848
Inception Date10/25/202212/20/20117/9/20012/4/20011/31/20064/30/2006-

Fundamentals

MISLSMHSOXXIBBXBIITAMedian
NameFirst Trus.VanEck Sem.iShares Se.iShares Bi.State Stre.iShares U.. 
Net Asset Value44.54553.12508.44208.98168.23232.77-
Premium/Discount0.2%-0.0%0.0%-0.0%-3.5%0.0%0.0%
Distribution Yield0.4%0.2%0.3%0.2%0.4%0.0%0.2%
Sales Yield30.4%7.7%8.1%12.0%8.3%30.5%10.1%
Earnings Yield2.4%2.6%2.3%1.8%1.2%2.7%2.3%

Valuation

MISLSMHSOXXIBBXBIITAMedian
NameFirst Trus.VanEck Sem.iShares Se.iShares Bi.State Stre.iShares U.. 
P/S (TTM)3.3x12.9x12.4x8.3x12.1x3.3x10.2x
P/E (TTM)41.3x39.1x44.3x54.8x80.4x37.4x42.8x
P/FCF (TTM)58.0x47.3x51.7x--39.4x49.5x
Forward P/E33.2x---65.4x31.1x33.2x
Forward P/S2.9x---8.2x3.0x3.0x

Risk

MISLSMHSOXXIBBXBIITAMedian
NameFirst Trus.VanEck Sem.iShares Se.iShares Bi.State Stre.iShares U.. 
Volatility (1Y)25.4%39.3%45.3%21.8%28.0%23.0%26.7%
Volatility (3Y)20.8%36.8%39.4%20.9%27.9%20.1%24.4%
Volatility (5Y)19.9%36.7%38.5%22.2%32.4%20.3%27.3%
Beta (1Y)1.192.392.600.781.051.031.12
Beta (3Y)0.861.972.050.821.030.850.95
Beta (5Y)0.811.761.820.861.160.811.01
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.621.781.792.002.250.811.79
Sharpe Ratio (3Y)1.181.361.160.901.011.301.17
Sharpe Ratio (5Y)1.141.000.850.320.340.930.89
Max Drawdown (1Y)-17.1%-24.6%-29.0%-9.6%-10.5%-15.8%-16.5%
Max Drawdown (3Y)-17.9%-35.7%-41.4%-24.9%-33.0%-15.8%-28.9%
Max Drawdown (5Y)-17.9%-45.3%-45.8%-39.7%-54.0%-18.7%-42.5%

Returns

MISLSMHSOXXIBBXBIITAMedian
NameFirst Trus.VanEck Sem.iShares Se.iShares Bi.State Stre.iShares U.. 
1M Return4.2%2.6%0.8%10.0%7.2%-2.2%3.4%
3M Return-8.7%-7.7%-10.6%21.4%18.8%-1.1%-4.4%
6M Return-9.4%36.1%44.5%19.2%27.5%-4.4%23.4%
YTD Return4.3%53.6%69.0%23.9%33.2%8.5%28.5%
1Y Return13.5%86.4%103.2%51.1%80.5%17.4%65.8%
2Y Return45.2%124.4%120.5%42.0%60.6%62.6%61.6%
3Y Return95.8%267.0%211.1%64.6%107.0%105.8%106.4%

Short Interest

Short Interest: As Of Date8142026
Short Interest: Shares Quantity0.0 Mil
Short Interest: % Change Since 731202685.9%
Average Daily Volume0.1 Mil
Days-to-Cover Short Interest1